Living A Life Of Death
by Eroskigal
Summary: Being born a Shinigami was never something Shinichi intended. But it seems life had different plans for him since the day he attracted his first murder. He's learned to live with it as being a homicide detective also meant he could help souls on their journey. But when a group of rouge Shinigami start going against the rules of life and death, he'll have to stop it any way he can.
1. Prologue

**~Prologue~**

They had never expected something like this to happen, and he had never expected to be born like this.

The day Shinichi was born, Yukiko and Yusaku knew that there was something that made him different from other newborns. They loved him, of course, for he was their first child, but there was just something out of the ordinary with him, it seemed. At first, it was only a feeling, but through a certain course of events, they realized the truth. Their son was not normal.

It first happened when the newlyweds were taking a walk with their nine-month-old son in the park, when out of nowhere, a man sitting on a bench had collapsed from drinking poison in his tea, which caused his immediate death. Megure-keibu and the others arrived about an hour later, and Yusaku talked with him, giving his account on what happened. Yukiko stood off to the side and took care of Shinichi, who was watching the scene before him, that involved his father and flashing colored lights.

An accident had quickly escalated into a murder case, and all the suspects were accounted for and questioned. But out of all the people in the park that had watched the man get killed, the one they would never suspect would be Shinichi, of course. No one would believe that he, an innocent child was capable of committing murder. And he didn't. The man's death wasn't his fault.

His father later figured out that the murderer was the man's daughter-in-law, who had a grudge against him for refusing to lend some money to them for her husband's hospital bill. If you were to ask a young Shinichi, he, like any other kid, would respond that her reason didn't seem like a sufficient one for murder. And well, he was right.

The case ended with his father chatting with Megure's partner, who he later learned was named Mouri Kogouro. At first, it was only about one or two cases a month. But that number soon escalated, and when the two parents looked back on everything, they found one recurring factor. Every time a murder was committed around them, Shinichi was always with them. They didn't want to think that the child was cursed, but they had to know for sure.

"I think I found someone who can help us!" Yukiko exclaimed after she came home from a long day on set.

Her husband Yusaku, who was currently trying to rock Shinichi to sleep, whispered, "Is it another Shrine Priest?"

The actress shook her head. "Nope. She's the head of a family that specializes in magic. Her name is Koizumi Aka, and I've already scheduled an appointment for us to meet with her."

Yusaku smiled at his wife, but remained a bit skeptical. "Are you sure she'll be able to help? Nobody's been able to, so far."

Yukiko waved him off. "But this family has had Red Magic that has been passed down through generations. If there is anyone who can help us with Shinichi, it'll be her."

Yusaku thought about this while watching his son, who's ears perked up at the mention of his name. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try. When's the appointment?"

"A week from now at 8:00."

Yusaku nodded. "I see. And you really believe she can help?"

She pouted. "Of course she can. Chikage-chan recommended her to me. She said Koizumi-san was a real help with her newborn son."

Yusaku agreed, not wanting to provoke his wife further.

* * *

The newlyweds and their child had arrived at the appointed time, and they had to admit that the mansion looked just like it belonged to a witch, which it did. The architecture looked like it had been there for centuries, which wouldn't be surprising in the least. The huge doors opened, and a servant with wonky eyes and scraggly teeth greeted them. "The mistress is waiting for you. Please, step right this way."

The couple complied and walked down the dark halls. Yusaku was slowly starting to believe his wife, as the interior gave off the same vibes as the mansion outside. They were led to a room at the end of the hall, which was equally as dark as the rest of the building. A woman with long red hair and a black cloak was sitting at a table, a crystal ball in the middle. Yusaku and Yukiko approached and took two seats opposite the woman. She was actually very beautiful, especially up close. She opened her eyes and gave the couple a small smile. "Kudou Yusaku-san and Kudou Yukiko-san. I see you are here because you have some concerns with your first-born child."

Yukiko confirmed it. "Yes. For months now, whenever we've taken him out, someone always gets murdered and a case breaks out. This never happened before he was born. We don't know what to do."

The woman nodded with a beautiful smile. "I see." She then stood from the table. "I would like you to follow me. I have something that will reveal the true nature of your son."

Reluctant, yet curious, the parents stood and followed after the woman. Little did they know, a pair of eyes was watching them, in deep curiosity.

Down a dark hall consisting of giant painted portraits of previous family heads, the two followed. Shinichi was curious about this strange place they were in, but said nothing. The room in which they had entered had a giant cauldron in the middle, a diverse substance inside. The witch started mixing in different ingredients, but she couldn't help but notice two eyes peaking into the doorway. She sent a small smile their way. "It's alright. You can come in. Don't be shy."

The Kudous' turned to find the addressee, only to see a little girl watching them with a curiosity. She stepped in, never taking her eyes off the parents and their son. "This is my daughter and heir, Koizumi Akako."

Yusaku smiled and greeted her. "Hello there."

The child looked up at him, but nevertheless, remained silent. "Anyway, to continue, all I need is a piece of your son's hair."

The couple exchanged looks with each other, but in the end, Yukiko carefully took a hair from Shinichi's head. Koizumi-san graciously accepted it and threw it into the cauldron. The substance had started to glow brighter, but that was the only difference the Kudous could see. Koizumi-san, however, could probably see more than them, as she stared intently at the substance while her face changed into different expressions as she took in the information. Yusaku and Yukiko waited apprehensively for the news.

"...I see." That was the comment Koizumi-san made after the substance had returned to its original form.

The parents, as well as Akako, stood in suspense as the witch told them the news. "Although your son was born of two humans, I regret to inform you that he is not."

The Kudous stiffened upon hearing this. "I-If he isn't human, then what is he?" Yukiko asked, dreading the answer.

Koizumi-san feared their reactions to the answer she was about to give. "A Shinigami."

This is the part where they completely froze. Looking down at their son, they found him looking up at them with curious eyes, wondering what was going on. "Y-You mean, like, the ones in movies that wear black cloaks and carry scythes?"

Koizumi-san shook her head in reassurance. "No, no, it is not that bad."

The two of them were quiet and let her continue. "Although I've only come in contact with a few of them, I know a thing or two about them. Shinigami are capable of leading perfectly normal human lives, however, all their lives, they are destined to have death follow them wherever they go. It is not necessarily the Shinigami's fault for one's death, rather, it's more as if they are called towards it. Most Shinigami choose to become police officers or detectives, or any jobs within that line of work."

"So, you're saying he can have a normal future?" Yusaku asked, hopeful.

The witch nodded. "Yes, of course. However, I must warn you. There are certain restrictions which those in the Shinigami community must follow."

Gladly, the two listened to all of them.

* * *

The next six years went by smoothly, except for the occasional murder case. It turned out that Shinichi didn't always attract murder every time. However, just Tokyo alone had so many greedy people who would take a life for some stupid reason or another.

Speaking of Shinichi, he was doing well in school, as it seemed that he was one of the smartest kids in his grade. Unfortunately, it seemed to have gone to his head, because he usually took the role of 'cool kid', and his arrogant attitude didn't win him many friends. However, his cockiness was typically used as a cover to hide what he was really thinking. He was scared. His parents hadn't kept anything from him, but he was afraid to make friends, because he didn't want anyone to die.

His parents had told him, but he ran away before they could tell him a very vital piece of information. No one really wanted to be his friend because they found him uneasy to approach.

Except for a six-year-old girl his age.

Shinichi was standing alone in the park after school one day, when a girl approached him. She had long brown hair which consisted of a kind of spike sticking out the front. Bravely, the girl stepped forward and introduced herself.

"Um, hello, I'm Mouri Ran. We're in the same class. Do you want to be friends?"

Shinichi turned to the girl and was fairly surprised at her straightforwardness. However, he didn't want an unfortunate fate to befall this girl, so he let his instincts kick in. "I don't need any friends!"

Ran was also surprised at the boy's bluntness, but was prepared to argue. "Of course you do. Everyone needs a friend."

Shinichi crossed his arms and turned away from her. "Not me. I'm too cool for that kind of stuff."

Ran pouted. "How can you say that?! This attitude of yours is the reason you don't have any in the first place!"

Shinichi froze at that. He knew she was right. He knew he would also like a friend as well, but he didn't want to get close to someone just to lose them. Ran saw the look on Shinichi's face and she knew she hit at something personal. She was about apologize, when out of nowhere, Shinichi spoke.

"If we become friends...You'll die."

Ran didn't have a clue what he meant by that, but she could see his mood had sunk, so she did the only thing she could think of to make it better. Shinichi's eyes widened on feeling the girl hug him from behind. "I won't die. I promise."

Shinichi took in the sincerity of her words and turned to face her. "Hello, I'm Mouri Ran. Do you want to be friends?"

The boy only stared at her, in deep thought, then responded. "Sure. I'm Kudou Shinichi."

A hand shake followed after. "Do you want to walk home together?"

Shinichi only nodded, still too stunned to say anything.

They did this almost every school day, and they would always wait for each other in the park. Overtime, the two became the best of friends. Shinichi still kept up his cool kid act, but Ran was just beginning to know him on a deeper level. He didn't know how she might react if he told her his secret, however, so for now, he just kept it to himself, ready to tell her one day in the near future.


	2. Border Line

**~Chapter 1: Border Line~**

"I think it's obvious who here is the real killer."

Shinichi shifted his eyes to where they landed on one specific person. "And that would be you! Kanae-san!"

The young woman in green had a look of surprise come across her, which Shinichi didn't fail to notice, but otherwise went back to normal. "What are you saying? I can't possibly have killed her. I have an alibi."

The Great Detective of the East nodded along. "While that is true, I would also like to point out that you didn't have to be in the room for the murder to occur."

The woman chuckled a little, as if Shinichi had gone insane. "What could you possibly mean?"

Shinichi smirked that arrogant smirk of his, the same one he always wore when giving his deductions. "It went a little something like this. You knew that Yamashita-san would be making tea for everyone, so you purposely took a cup of tea when he wasn't looking and put sleeping pills in it. After everyone had gotten their tea, you reminded Yamashita-san to not forget the tea for the Headmistress. He brought it to her, not knowing what you had done to it."

"But, what does that have to do with murder? If I recall correctly, after tea is when she started having a coughing fit." A young man sitting at the table pointed out.

Shinichi's smirk only seemed to grow as he continued. "That wasn't real."

The detective held something in his hands, between a white cloth. "The coughing fit was prerecorded on this tape, to serve as an excuse for Kanae-san, who was conveniently waiting by the stairs, to go and check on her."

The Heisei Holmes knew he had everyone's attention in this gripping deduction, just waiting for him to continue. "It was then that Kanae-san wrapped some fishing line around the Headmistress's neck, and tied the other ends of the strings around a remote controlled toy car, which used to belong to her son. The remote for the car was so small, it could fit in her pocket. While she was in the kitchen getting the cake ready, she pressed the 'forward' button on the remote, which caused the car to move, resulting in jolting the Headmistress awake and ending her life. You then claimed that you were going to collect her cup from her room, but really, you went there to remove the string and hide the car in the closet."

Shinichi watched as the culprit broke down, shocked that he figured out her trick. He smirked in victory. "Am I wrong, Kanae-san?"

The woman was backed into a corner. "Anyone could have done that! What makes you think it was me?!"

Shinichi steadied his gaze on her, as if he was chasing a rat into a trap. "You mean, you don't still have the remote on you?"

Her face went pale. Takagi-keiji, an officer who had entered Division One not too long ago, approached her. "We'll need you to empty your pockets."

The woman had her head down. "There's no need...I killed her."

The young man sitting at the table, her son, as well as everyone else, was shocked to hear this. Apparently, the Headmistress was responsible for killing her husband several years ago, so she and her son changed their names and went undercover, however, her son had no idea about his mother's murderous intent.

After the woman had been arrested and the whole debacle was pretty much over, Shinichi was about to head home, except there was one little thing keeping him there. Looking around, Shinichi finally found it watching him from underneath the stairs. A little blue Hitodama, a person's soul that resembled a ball of fire, was waiting for him to help it.

Shinichi gently picked it up and held it at eye-level. The Headmistress had just died, and now he had to help her move on. Shinichi smiled a bit before somehow magically whisking it away on it's journey into the next world.

* * *

"I still can't believe someone got murdered at that party you were invited to." Ran remarked as she walked to school with her best, and childhood, friend.

"Oh, well I arrested the murderer, who turned out to be the housekeeper of the place."

Ran shifted her eyes between the ground and a tree they were currently walking past. "I still don't know how you can manage to deal with all of it."

Shinichi shrugged. "I'm used to it. After I was born, my parents ran into all kinds of murders and brought be to the scenes with them." Technically not a lie.

"Maybe their corpse magnetism got passed down to me." That one, more or less.

While it was true that his parents have seen a lot of murder, it was only because his father was a police consultant and his mother often went to visit him during work. They weren't Shinigami like Shinichi was. He had gotten around to hearing them out when he was much younger, and now he knows the basic essentials of being a Shinigami.

Basically, they were called towards death unknowingly, so they could help the dead move on. Different Shinigami were usually drawn towards different deaths, and for Shinichi, of course, it was murder. However, it was typically random, and the people who died around him were always people whom he didn't know well at all. Fortunately, that didn't extend to loved ones, so they were safe. Well, as safe as they could be with murderers around them constantly.

There was also one other cause of death that attracted Shinichi, only once in a blue moon, and that was the occasional suicide, which he hated much more than murder, with a burning passion. He could never understand what it was that caused people to want to take a life, even if it was their own.

"I've always wondered why murder happens when you're involved." Ran thought, a bit absentmindedly.

Shinichi worked to wave off her tiny bit of suspicion, since he still hadn't yet told her. "It's fine. The same thing sometimes happens to Sherlock Holmes, but these murders would likely still happen, whether I was there or not. It's just a coincidence."

Ran had broken out of her thoughts and nodded. "I guess that's true."

It was clear to Shinichi that she still possessed a small shred of doubt, but he let it go for now. "We're still on for tomorrow, right?"

She had finally broken out of her thoughts once again and looked up at him. "Yeah, we're still going."

Tomorrow was the first day of the cultural fair that would be held in the park, complete with games and food and yukatas, most likely. There was also a rumor going around that Okino Youko would be there to perform a song, but there was no way Ran would tell that to her father.

Shinichi and Ran were close friends, so it went without saying that they would be going together. Sure, Shinichi could invite some of his other close friends, but he didn't have many of those. No one except Ran. In fact, the only person who would be accompanying them was Sonoko. Oh well, he would have much more fun with Ran anyway. And Sonoko, well, she was...probably willing to give them some alone time if they asked for it.

He couldn't guarantee that it would be murder-free, though, but he would hope for the best, just as he knew that Ran would. It was going to be a fun night, one way or the other.

* * *

Aww, you're going on a date with Ran-chan?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed, as his mother cooed over it. "It's not a date. We're just hanging out at the fair is all."

Of course, that wouldn't do anything to deter her. "But Shin-chan, it'll be just the two of you! It's so romantic!"

Yusaku laughed from where he was reading a newspaper at the table. "Yukiko, leave the poor boy alone."

The former actress pouted at her husband. "But Yusaku, I want to know what will happen! They're finally getting together after all these years!"

Shinichi scoffed, planning to somehow sneak away to his own room. "Calm down, Kaa-san. Besides, it's not like I have anyone else to go with."

His mother now directed her pouting at him. "That's because you never wanna make any friends!"

Walking up the stairs, Shinichi decided to use his remaining trump card. "I have to get on my homework now, so..."

Yukiko fumed and pouted. "Honestly, can you believe that boy?"

Shinichi only heard the sounds of his father's amused laughter as he walked up the stairs. Honestly, his mother did have a tendency to go overboard at times. However, as he dwelled on it, deep down inside, he knew he had romantic feeling for Ran, his dear, dear childhood friend, but there was no way he would ever admit it. Not out loud, at least. Admitting them, however, was for a later date, and right now, he had a new Detective Samonji novel to start reading. Homework could wait, this was important.

Shinichi sat on his bed and cracked open the first page, but he didn't even finish the first word before a huge explosion was heard nearby. Knowing that there was only one place where something like that could have occurred, he looked out his bedroom window and confirmed his suspicions, seeing as the house next door was partially on fire. "Oi, Oi, Hakase, keep it down, would ya?"

A fire truck showed up within the nest half hour, only Shinichi was too enthralled in the novel to take any notice. It was almost nine when he finished, but by then, he had already been feeling a sense of fatigue. At least he was already in bed. He put the novel on his nightstand and decided to drift off.

Of course, he would be reading it again tomorrow, because he was just that much of a detective geek.


	3. Deadly Trail

**~Chapter 2: Deadly Trail~**

Shinichi didn't know what to expect as he waited in the living room for his childhood friend to finish getting ready for the festival. All he really knew was that Ran was going to come out wearing a festival Yukata. However, the one thing he didn't account for, was how beautiful she would look while wearing it. It was a light purple color with an orchid pattern, from which her name came, and her hair was tied back into a bun, being held in place by a sakura flower.

He must have been staring for some time, since his father pulled him out of his stupor. "Close your mouth, son. You don't want to catch flies."

He was jut grateful that Ran hadn't noticed, otherwise it would have been extremely awkward.

"Ooh, you look so cute, Ran-chan!" Yukiko squealed as she greeted her future daughter-in-law at the bottom of the stairs.

"You really think so, Yukiko-san?"

"Oh of course, dear!"

She turned around to her only son, and being the detective he was, he noticed a mischievous glint in her eye. "What do you think, Shin-chan?"

Oh she was good, asking him something like that when he was trying to keep from being flustered over her beauty. He was vulnerable in that moment, which made him more likely to slip up. "I-I guess it's okay. It's not like she looks any different from other festival girls."

Which was, of course, a lie. "Shin-chan, stop being so mean. She is your dear, _dear_ friend, after all."

Yusaku chuckled. "She's right, you know."

Both Ran and Shinichi got the hidden meaning, and simultaneously tried to hide their blushing. Ran was the lucky one, since she could easily hide behind her long sleeves, while all Shinichi could to was lay his head on the table. Both parents started laughing at this, only making Shinichi wish he could bury his head in the ground instead. "You two are absolutely adorable!"

Okay, that was the last of it. "Kaa-san, I keep telling you, it's not like that!"

Ran nodded. "Yeah, we're just friends."

Yusaku stood from his seat at the table. "Call it what you want, but everyone of us knows the truth."

Both of them blushed at that, and this time, neither one of them bothered to hide it. "Well, it's about time you two started heading off. The festival is about to start."

Ran was the first to head towards the door as Shinichi stood from the table. "Oh, and son." His father stopped him abruptly, making sure the other had left the room first. "If anything happens tonight, be careful."

To anyone else, those words would mean exactly what they sounded like, however, Shinichi knew exactly what his father was implying. If anything were to happen, such as murder, then he would have to be careful not to let his secret slip, especially not to Ran. Who knows what she might think of him if she knew that her best and childhood friend had actually been a bringer of death all his life. It wouldn't exactly be considered 'helpful'.

"Shinichi! Are you coming?"

Breaking out of his little stupor, Shinichi yelled back, "Yeah, I'm coming!"

* * *

He was trying so hard to hide it, but when she was having fun, Shinichi just could not take his eyes off of her. His pride would never allow him to admit it out loud, but she was beautiful, and yes, he was practically in love with her. However, there were a few reasons he wouldn't tell her.

One was because he was afraid she wouldn't feel the same way and reject him. The other reason was that if the two of them started dating and Ran somehow found out his secret, it wouldn't end well anyway. From the way it looked, it was definitely a lose-lose situation. He was perfectly fine with keeping his distance as friends, while pretending to be oblivious about his own romance matters, even while he was perceptive of everything else.

"Shinichi look, I caught one!"

The first thing to draw Ran's eye was the goldfish catching game, where if one caught a goldfish, they were allowed to keep it. "Do you have a place to put it?" Shinichi asked, knowing the responsibility it would take to even have one.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered. Do you want to try?"

Shinichi shook his head. "No thanks, I don't need one. How about we go look at that stand over there?"

"Sure."

Sonoko, who had come to the festival with them, had split up to go meet with her boyfriend Makoto, who was currently visiting. She told Ran the her and Shinichi needed some 'alone time' anyway, and it would do the both of them some good. Secretly, she was grateful, although she would never say it. She continued to deny that she didn't have feelings for her best friend, although she knew how she really felt.

If Shinichi were to ever find out about it, he would probably laugh at her and reject her. She couldn't bring herself to take that chance. That was why, whenever she thought he wasn't looking she just never could seem to be able to take her eyes off him. She knew he was cocky, and seemed a tad arrogant to most people, but she loved him anyway. They had gotten their food from the stand, and already, the night was progressing smoothly.

Shinichi had to be careful not to jinx it, since the night was still young. There was a 50/50 chace that someone would be murdered tonight, and he really wanted it to stay as it was right now. Although just in case, he always had Megure on speed dial. Eventually, the night had gotten darker, and everything was at full swing. They were both having as much fun as they could, playing games and whatnot. It was nearly ten o'clock when Ran decided it would be a fit time to take a break.

And so, they rested up against the administrative building, which was responsible for running the entire thing. "I'm having fun, but I'm exhausted." Ran remarked as she leaned against the building wall.

"It's only been two hours." Shinichi said, feeling a bit tired himself.

"I know, but I can't help it. We did run around a lot, after all."

Knowing she was right, Shinichi leaned against the building, next to her, drinking a cold soda he had gotten from a vending machine. This only lasted a couple of minutes, however, as something above them caught Shinichi's eye. He couldn't tell what it was, but it was getting bigger. It wasn't until after a few seconds, that Shinichi realized exactly what it was, and it was coming down hard.

"Ran!" Shinichi took action and pushed the both of them out of the way of the falling thing. Both of them were lying on the ground when they heard a huge thud, and with one look at it Ran screamed. A young man had just fallen out of the sky, and by the look of the marks around his neck, he was strangled. Something inside Shinichi turned itself on, as it was now time for him to become a detective once again.


	4. A Great Detective

**~Chapter 3: A Great Detective~**

"His name is Murayama Takeshi, age 34, works as a fantasy novelist and is currently involved with a group of writers." Takagi read from his notebook.

Megure and Satou, along with forensics, had closed of that section of the festival and ushered everyone away. Shinichi, of course, looked at the scene with a calculated detective eye. Ran stood a ways away, not wanting anything to do with the dead body, but also not wanting to leave Shinichi's side. That, and she had to give a witness statement. A knife ran through the man's heart, which was determined to be the cause of death.

Shinichi looked over the body for any inconsistencies as the police handled the rest. They had rounded up three people that the man had come with. Murayama Hana, his wife, Aomori Taka, his editor, and Yanagi Fuku, a member from his author circle. "So, you're saying Shinichi-kun pushed you out of the way of where the body fell, right Ran-chan?" Satou asked to make sure.

"Yeah, that's what happened." Satou scribbled something in her notebook, while at the scene, Shinichi made a few discoveries.

"There are rope marks on his hands, so he was bound for some time. Also, there's some black fuzz on his shirt. We'll have to wait until they get back from investigating the roof."

Speaking of which, as if on cue, two officers exited the building. "Megure-keibu, this building wasn't built with a passage to the roof. We can't get up there without a ladder."

The Inspector nodded. "Alright, I'll have one brought here."

Knowing that fact got Shinichi to start thinking. _"If the roof is inaccessible, then how did the criminal manage to get the body up there in the first place? There has to be something around there that would make that possible..."_

"Megure-keibu!" Shinichi watched the interaction between the Inspector and forensics. "We found a ladder in the trees."

Shinichi took into account that the criminal might have used it. "Don't use that one, it might be evidence for the crime."

The forensics team started examining it, so Shinichi decided instead to listen to the alibies of those suspected. "I was playing the koi fish catching game when my husband fell from the roof." Murayama-san stated.

Satou nodded. "Go confirm that." An officer then left for the koi stand.

The next to be asked was the editor. "I was talking on the phone with one of my other clients around that time. If you don't believe me, you can check my call log." Aomori-san handed Satou-keiji his phone, and his alibi checked out.

"I was buying a plush from the stand over there. I have the receipt for it." Yanagi-san said as she handed it over.

To a normal person, it would seem that the three of them were innocent, but Shinichi's detective instincts told him that one of them was lying. It was hardly ever an accident when he was around. Finally, the ladder that had been called for, was being delivered to the side of the building. Shinichi decided he would conduct his own roof investigation. "Let me use this for a second!"

Shinichi quickly started climbing, wanting to hurry to the roof as fast as possible. Once he actually made it there, he turned on his flashlight watch and began to look around. A few officers followed and started looking around themselves. Shinichi shone his light on some blood spatter, indicating the roof as the scene of the crime. "Hey, there's some gloves and a jacket over here!"

Shinichi turned to where the officer had called, and found the proof that the killer had been on the roof. He also noticed something in the corner. "What's that over there?"

He shone his light on a black blanket that was messily thrown about. After approaching it, he found that the blanket was the source of the mysterious black fuzz that was found on the body. Shinichi picked it up, but it seemed that the blanket was hiding some rope. A whole thing of it rested there, however, some of it was obviously cut, and there was also some rope running off the side of the building. Shinichi stood and walked around the roof, contemplating his thoughts. _"I almost have it put together, but there's just one piece missing..."_

While he was walking around, he accidently kicked something metallic, judging by the way skidded across the concrete roof. "What the..."

Shinichi hurriedly shined his light on the object, and something struck his mind. The final missing piece was lying right in front of him. He knew how the trick was done, but he now needed to figure out the criminal. It was then that something he hadn't noticed before caught his eye.

He shone his light on what looked to be a bunch of equal signs made from blood. Wanting to confirm something, Shinichi peered over the edge of the roof to watch the suspects as they talked amongst each other. Smirking in success, Shinichi knew he had his killer.

* * *

Ran stood off to the side and watch her childhood friend smirking with pride. "Is it true that you know who the killer is?" Takagi-keiji asked.

"Yeah, and in fact, it's one of these three standing right here." He pointed towards the three suspects, gaining shocked reactions from all three.

"Well, out with it!" Megure ushered, wanting to move everything along.

"Before I reveal the culprit, we're going to recreate the trick used in the murder." Shinichi motioned towards the roof, where the black blanket was hanging, using the support of the rope. "You all might want to stand back."

Taking his advice, Ran, as well as everyone else backed away, and once Shinichi gave the signal, a sandbag dropped to the ground in the exact location of the body. Their attention was diverted back to the blanket, which disappeared before their eyes, being pulled back up to the roof. "What just happened?" Megure asked, astonished.

Shinichi smirked. "I asked Chiba-keiji to help me with the trick. Here's what happened. The killer showed up beforehand an hid the latter as fake evidence. When the festival started, the killer asked to meet with the victim, and instructed them to use the latter to climb to the roof. While the victim was waiting, the killer disposed of the latter in the forest once again, and this time, used the rope to climb to the top."

A member of the forensics team presented the metallic object that Shinichi had run into. "You all recognize this, right? It's the end of a grappling hook, and it was previously attached to the end of the rope. The killer used this to climb up to the roof, in order to take the victim by surprise and to disguise their method of climbing."

Ran continued to watch as her friend busted a killer once again. To her, it seemed that everywhere he went, a case happened, which was weird but she didn't question it too often. "After the culprit stabbed the knife through the victim's chest, they tied the end of the rope around the victim's wrist, and cut it only slightly. The culprit then hung his body off of the building and covered it with the black blanket, with it being harder to see in the dark. Using the leverage of both their weights, the culprit climbed back down the building, and tied the rope to a tree. The cut on the rope would soon grow, and eventually, the rope would snap, making it the perfect murder trick."

Ran tried to comprehend the trick in her head, and realized that, although she was against murder, it was rather creative. "But who would be able to pull off a trick like this?" Satou asked.

Smirking, Shinichi didn't hesitate to point out the criminal. "That would be you! Murayama-san!"

The victim's wife didn't show any sign of shock, but instead, she smirked a little. "That was a very well-thought trick, perfect for mystery novels, but you can't prove that I actually used it."

Smirking back, he replied. "Oh really? Then why, exactly, are there bloodstains on the roof? Bloodstains that match the prints of the festival shoes you're wearing?"

Now, the woman had a shocked look on her face. "Y-You're going to suspect me just because of my shoes?" She pointed frantically at Yanagi-san. "She's wearing the same shoes as I am!"

Shinichi shook his head. "Not quite. The stilts on her shoes are shaped like cylinders, however, yours are shaped like thin rectangles. If you lift up your shoes, I'm sure we'll find all the evidence we need."

Realizing she had nowhere else to go, the woman broke down and admitted to killing her husband.

* * *

The festival was finally over, and most everyone had gone home. Shinichi stood alone in the open field under the moonlight. For Shinigami, it wasn't healthy for them to stay cooped up inside their human forms all the time. Every once in a while, they needed to change into their Shinigami forms and let them breath, and the best place to do that was under open skies, alone and at night.

Being sure that no one was around, Shinichi stood under the moonlight and let the darkness transform him. The festival clothes he was wearing started to turn black, and his eyes took on a darker blue color. His hair seemed to turn darker and his skin practically glowed under the moonlight.

Like this, he was afraid he looked like the very epitome of death itself. Just as well, if Ran or anyone else was to see him like this, his secret would be out. All he needed was a scythe, really. Looking down at his leg, he found a little blue Hitodama from the recently killed victim. It must have been drawn to his glow, he supposed.

Gently, he picked it up and helped whisk it off into the next world.


	5. Soul Stealers

**~Chapter 4: Soul Stealers~**

Shinichi yawned into his hand as he tiredly walked out across his front lawn. School wasn't something he necessarily wanted to go through with today, especially after last night's case. Honestly, that festival was supposed to be something fun, something both he and Ran could enjoy without having to be bombarded by corpses falling out of the sky. Literally.

But as fate would have it, his Shinigami curse just had to kick in and get someone killed. Although he knew it wasn't his fault directly. Things like this happened all the time, with or without him around. Regretfully, he opened the front gate and shut it behind him, right when his beloved childhood friend turned the corner. "S-Shinichi?"

The boy in question locked the gate and answered. "Yeah?"

She seemed surprised for some reason. "Oh, no, it's nothing. I just didn't expect to see you ready for school like this. Usually I have to personally drag you out of bed and force you to get ready."

Shinichi yawned into his hand once more. "Yeah, well, my dad insisted I wake up earlier and my mom made me a big breakfast this morning, so I'm just ready to go." He said while suppressing another yawn.

Ran smiled. "You know, I'm glad your parents decided to come home from their long trip. You really shouldn't be alone in that big house."

Tiredly, he shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, I know that. Do you think we could get some coffee on the way to school?"

"Uh, sure. I think I have enough to cover both of us."

He didn't know what it was, but he swore that the second he saw her turn the corner on her way to pick him up, she made his day a million times better. Of course he knew she was the one he had been in love with since forever, but there was another reason behind it. He could never figure out why she just looked so beautiful when doing little things.

The way her smile brightened when she talked about the new American teacher. The way her legs majestically stopped at the front of the Coffee Shop. The way her hand gracefully stretched out and opened the Coffee Shop door. The way her concerned eyes glistened as they looked back at him. The way her hair blew in the wind as she asked him why he was just standing there. The way her beautiful hand, smooth to the touch as it was, grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside. Everything about her was just beautiful. Oh wait...

"R-Ran! What are you doing?"

Annoyed, she let him go. "You were standing there, staring. You didn't seem to hear what I was saying, so what choice did I have?"

Shinichi realized his fatal mistake and tried to play it off. He coolly closed his eyes and moved his hand into a thinking position, partly because it helped hide his blush. "I wasn't staring, I was just intently looking at that menu behind you."

Ran found that there was a double sided menu, the same shape as a wet floor sign, with the daily specials written in chalk. "You didn't look like you were reading the menu. And I don't know why a menu would be so interesting that it would keep someone so entranced and unable to hear when someone is talking to them."

Coughing into his hand, Shinichi decided to move things along. "Anyway, I think I'll have a Honey-Caramel Latte."

Ran most certainly thought that was strange, but she let it go for now. She watched him as he ordered what he wanted off of the menu. She did the same thing, and the barista went to prepare their orders. The two childhood friends sat at a table together and waited to pass the time.

Ran had something she wanted to ask Shinichi, but she couldn't help but find herself nervous about it. She pulled the zipper on her bag and pulled something out of it. She had to work to summon the courage to ask him. "Um, Shinichi?"

Ran saw as he turned to her. "Yeah?"

The look he gave her meant that she had his full attention. It made her shudder, but she tried not to show it on the outside. "Um, I was just wondering..."

Shinichi blinked his big, beautiful, blue eyes in curiosity, and she almost didn't go through with it. Almost. She pulled out a flier and placed it in front of him. "Do you wanna go with me after school?"

Shinichi eyed the flier, which happened to be one for a sweets shop that opened up recently. For a limited time only, the store was holding a sweets tasting event. Shinichi didn't see anything wrong with that, until he read a line near the bottom. _"If you show up with your special someone, you'll receive a complimentary Lover's Chocolate."_

That part made him blush like crazy, although he seemed successful in hiding it behind the flyer. "Shinichi, are you okay?"

Ran noticed he seemed to be eagerly staring at the flier, much like he was supposedly staring at the menu earlier. Once his blush had completely disappeared, he looked back up at her and smiled. "Sure, sounds good. I don't really have anything to do after school anyway."

Ran sighed in what looked like relief. That was a bit odd since he didn't know what she had to be relieved about. It was a simple question. And besides, it wasn't like she liked him back anyway. There was no way someone as beautiful as her, would like him, a boring deduction freak who talks too much about Sherlock Homes, as more than a friend anyway.

A minute passed, and everything went as normal. Except until Shinichi felt a pulsing sensation in the form of a heartbeat. He definitely felt that something was off. He looked all over the room, but he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

That was until two men, dressed in all black, walked inside the shop. The man in front had long, blonde hair and a scary look in his eye, while the other man was of a bulky build and wore sunglasses. Something definitely felt wrong about them. Absolutely.

"We'll have two black coffees, no sugar." The long-haired man told the barista. That was definitely a strange order, and she must have thought so too, as she gave them a questioning look before she left to go make it. Ran eventually took notice of this and gently shook him out of his trance. "Shinichi, what's wrong? Do you know them?"

He shook his head. "No, I've never seen them before."

The strange feeling hadn't left until the two Men in Black did. With them gone, Shinichi was finally able to rest a bit. "What happened? You were looking at those guys like they kicked your puppy or something."

Thinking it was over, Shinichi shook it off. "No it's fine. Let's just hurry and get to school before we're counted late."

Taking their coffee to go, Shinichi decided to calm himself down. But those guys gave off a cold and unforgiving aura, so Shinichi wouldn't let himself forget them.

* * *

"This is the place, right?"

Ran confirmed it with a nod of her head. "Yeah, this is it."

Shinichi had to admit he was a tad nervous, because going to a place like this with the girl he was in love with seemed a lot like a date. He may have faced bloodthirsty murderers in the past, but this was a whole other level of scary. It was definitely a candy shop, you could tell that from the exterior. Shinichi wasn't necessarily a big sweets person himself, but Ran was there with him, and that was sweet enough.

"Caramel Swirled Truffles, Mint Cookie Pies, Honey Glazed Mochi? This looks so good, I don't know what to get!"

Shinichi could only smile as he watched her excitement from behind. He loved how excited she got whenever she saw something she liked, and knowing she was happy made him smile all the more. "Shinichi, which ones do you-"

Ran was cut off, as she accidentally tripped over a floor tile, falling forward. Shinichi acted quickly, and caught her before she could embarrass herself by falling flat on her face. Ran instantly knew she didn't fall, but instead she landed on something, something firm but soft. She then realized that she had landed on Shinichi's chest.

She looked up at him, her face clearly blushing. He looked at her with concern. "You need to be careful. You wouldn't want to get hurt now, would you?"

His eyes noticed her blush and he immediately realized what was going on. There eyes met, and a small blush crept up on Shinichi as well. Casually, the two of them broke it apart like nothing had happened, and approached the front counter.

"How may I help you?" The lady at the cash register asked.

Ran went ahead and ordered one of everything, and Shinichi ordered some things as well, but not nearly as much. At the end of the trip, the two childhood friends looked through their candies and found two unfamiliar heart-shaped chocolates. "Um, excuse me, we didn't order these."

The lady smiled. "Those are Lover's Chocolates, free to anyone who comes as a couple."

And the blushes returned. They looked to each other and back, trying to find the right words.

"...W-We're not...um..."

"...Just...friends?"

The lady could see it very clearly, as well as anyone who saw them on the outside. Everyone knew they were a good couple. Except them, of course. "Have them anyway. You did come here together, after all."

The blushes remained, and they tried desperately to hide them. "A-A-Arigato Gozaimasu."

* * *

By the time they had gotten out, the sun was nearly finished setting. The awkward moments were long gone, but the way things were going, that definitely wouldn't be the last of them. "I can't wait to eat all of these when I get home! You didn't get very many, do you want to have some of mine?"

Shinichi declined. "No thanks, I'm fine with the ones I have."

The two were walking down the street on their way home, just enjoying each other's company without admitting it out loud. And then _that_ happened again. Shinichi received the feeling that something was seriously wrong. His heart started beating abnormally, and he quickly looked around for the source. He then caught sight of the bulky man from before, sinking into the darkness of a stray alley.

"Shinichi?" Ran was starting to get concerned again.

"Ran, keep going without me."

She blinked. "What? Shinichi-"

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

Leaving her behind, he sprinted off into the darkness. She had no clue what he was chasing after, but there was no way to stop him once his mind was made up. Running off into the darkness, Shinichi made sure to tail the man without being seen. The man soon approached his partner with the long hair. Shinichi could barely make out the thing on the ground, but it was just enough to tell what it was. _"A body?"_

His eyes widened upon realizing that, but the surprises were only beginning. "Aniki, did you find it?"

Shinichi noticed how their appearances slowly started to change into something he knew all too well. "It's around here somewhere. Look for it."

The two men started looking around for something, and Shinichi started to put it together. Their change of appearance, the dead body, looking for something? There was only one thing on Shinichi's mind. _"Don't tell me, they're..."_

"Aniki, I found it." The bulky man handed the object over to the long-haired man. Shinichi recognized that blue glow anywhere. _"A Hitodama?"_

He watched as the man looked at it with a sly sneer. "You must think I'm going to pass you on now."

 _"Well of course, that's what Shinigami do."_

Although his thoughts were not heard, since the man swallowed the glowing ball in one single gulp.

Shinichi's jaw dropped. _"What in the...We can do that?"_

The man's evil smile seemed permanent as he didn't seem to feel a bit of remorse from eating the soul of a once-living person. It went to show that he wasn't just a Shinigami, he was a psychopath.

All the more, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was a lot he still had left to learn about his own kind, but this was something he could live the rest of his life not knowing. "We should probably get going now."

The long-haired man smiled. "Yeah, we don't want anyone finding out we've been here."

Shinichi wanted to go after them, but his legs weren't willing to move. What he just saw, eating spirits of the deceased, was something that he too was capable of. He just couldn't believe it.

But there was something going on here. Maybe they weren't the only ones doing this. Maybe there were others. He was definitely planning on taking them down, but he couldn't tell anyone about it. Especially not Ran. Her safety was the last thing he wanted to endanger.

Well, he would ask his parents about it at least. If anyone were to know something about this, it would be them.


	6. Sorrow

**Warning: This Story Arc contains depictions of self harm and suicide attempts. Warnings will be presented at certain scenes, giving readers a chance to skip if necessary. Read at your own risk!**

* * *

 **~Chapter 5: Sorrow~**

Rain pattered down on the windows, giving the place an extremely depressing atmosphere. With the librarian absent, she took her sweet time, walking around and looking at all the books. The old library had a good history. People used to go there all the time when it was brand new, but that was back in the forties and fifties. Now, it's just an average library, overlooked by most of society. The rain only added to the pain that the old building must be feeling.

She knew there was really nothing she could do about it, which was unfortunate, but she could at the very least check out some books. The middle school girl carefully scanned the isles, looking for something that might interest her. A book of Japanese Folklore rested upon a dusty shelf, waiting to be picked up at least one more time. She thought she would grant its' wish and read it.

Moving along, the girl walked to the next aisle, her trip soon coming to an end. Another book that caught her eye was one she hadn't seen before. She took it off of the shelf and read the title with blank, indifferent eyes. "The Shinigami's Funeral Procession, huh?"

From the summary on the back, it was about a police detective who wanted to catch this serial killer running the streets at night. There was supposed to be some big twist at the end, or so she heard. Oh well, she'd probably be better off reading it anyway. After all, she would probably relate to the book's protagonist fairly well.

After the mundane task of having the books checked out was finished, the middle schooler quietly left the dark and melancholy library.

* * *

Living life at an orphanage wasn't the best, but it definitely wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to her. On the bright side, she attended a good middle school, and had a caring and understanding group of friends. However, there were two things. One had the potential to corner her during the day, and the other made her life a living hell. The middle school girl never interacted with other kids except for her small group of friends from school, so the other kids didn't try to converse with her much.

Ijima Hoshiko, the head caretaker, entered the main room, where most of the kids were chatting amongst themselves. The middle school girl knew Ijima-san didn't like her. In fact, she wasn't afraid to show it either, only her way of showing it was extremely passive aggressive.

"Alright everyone, it's almost time for lights out!" She called out in a sickeningly sweet tone.

As the other children were voicing their disapproval, another person entered the room, a young lady with her hair tied back into a ponytail. "Um, Ijima-san, where should I put this?" She asked referring to the box she carried with her.

The head caretaker smiled. "The closet over there is fine, Chidori-chan."

Mizawa Chidori was a volunteer out of college who sometimes came over to help with the orphanage. Ijima-san most likely didn't like her either. Shortly after, a man appeared at the door. "Ijima-san, I'm gonna finish up here and head home for the night." He stated casually. Smiling, she nodded in confirmation.

Oshin Hinata was another volunteer who liked to work with children. He was okay, she supposed. The caretaker faced the room once again. "Alright, everyone, seriously, it's time for bed."

The rest of the children were rushed off. The middle schooler took her time in returning. "Can I speak to you for a second, Ai-chan?"

She stopped in her tracks, able to hear the instability in her voice. "I thought I asked you not to speak of me so casually. It's Haibara-san."

There was a feeling of dread welling up within her, but she couldn't afford to back down. "That's right, I'm sorry. Say, Haibara-san, why is it that you always wear long-sleeved shirts?"

The middle schooler tensed, trying to come up with something. "It's one of the latest trends right now. Okino Youko started her own collection of them."

Feigning curiosity, she tilted her head to the side. "Really? Are you sure? I was always under the impression that you were hiding something."

Unconsciously, Ai hugged both of her arms. "I-I'm not hiding anything."

An evil look surged though her eyes. "Well, in that case, why don't you show me?"

Ai's heartbeat increased, telling her that danger was near. "W-What did you say?"

"Just show me your arms. I only want a little peak."

The woman reached for her sleeve, but Ai pulled away quickly. "Back off!"

The caretaker was clearly losing her patience, but she tried to be passive. "Now, now, don't be so difficult, Ai-chan."

"That's Haibara-san to you!"

The woman decided to give up her smile, a scowl on her face. "Just let me see!"

She grabbed onto her sleeve, but Ai fought back fiercely, unwilling to waver. Without hesitance, she bit the woman's hand so hard that it drew blood. The caretaker let out a sharp scream as she pulled the pained area away. Now, she was really pissed. Ai covered herself instinctively as the woman's hand came down from the air. "I wish you were never born! You little-"

"Ijima-san! That's enough!"

Ai opened a single eye at the familiar voice that came out of nowhere. The caretaker knew she had been caught red handed -literally- by one of the people she hated the most.

A man with pinkish-brown hair and glasses stood in the doorway, glaring at her. To say he sent her a disapproving look was an understatement. He was furious with her. Slowly, the woman stood and walked off in a huff.

"If only you weren't here..." She muttered.

Ai let out the breath she was holding in. The man changed his expression from furious to kind. "Are you alright, Ai-chan?" He asked as he helped her off the ground.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Okiya-san."

He shrugged. "It's alright."

He looked in the direction the caretaker went, and frowned. "She's been getting more violent lately, hasn't she?"

Ai closed her eyes and took a deep breath, nodding along. "Honestly, I should file a report. We can't have someone like her working here."

Ai sighed and yawned. "I'm getting tired. I think I'll go to bed now."

Subaru nodded. "Alright, I think I'll head home now too."

"Okiya-san."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Thanks again for helping me out."

"No problem, I'll always help. Speaking of which, why did she want to look at your arms in the first place?"

Ai tensed at the question, unconsciously rubbing up and down her arms. "If it's what I think it is, then-"

"It's not!"

Subaru was slightly shocked that she cut him off in that manner. She sighed. "It's not, I promise."

After that, he smiled once more. "Well, you should head off to bed now. You've got school in the morning, don't you?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I do. Have a safe trip home."

He nodded. "I will."

* * *

 ***Non-explicit, but able to be skipped.**

Ai sat alone in her room, the dark room she had all to herself, and contemplated her thoughts to herself. "I-I lied to him. I told him it wasn't what he thought, but..."

Carefully, Ai pulled the sleeve of her black shirt down and revealed a bunch of cuts, some old, some new. They were present on both of her arms, and they made them look tarnished and destroyed.

It wasn't like she wanted to inflict this pain on herself. She just felt it was the only way to distract herself from all the torture. She had dealt with the Daytime Demon, but the next one was a whole other story.

 ***Start Reading Here~**

Ai pulled her sleeves down and decided to retire for the night. However, that wasn't going to be so easy. She closed her eyes and tried not to notice. She tried not to notice the wind blowing over her. Her window was closed. There should be no wind. But she was used to this. It was nothing new to her. She didn't want to have to look her in the eye. The demonic eyes that always burned into her skin, accompanied by blonde, nearly pure while hair, and purple lips that smiled of the devil. Ai knew it. She could feel her presence in the room. She just didn't want to see it. The very presence that made her life a living hell.

"Hello dear, isn't it nice to see you again."

Ai only pushed her face in her pillow. The mysterious woman smirked with malicious intent. "Now come on, don't be like that. I came all this way just to say hello."

She slowly pulled the girl's chin out from under the blankets, allowing for their eyes meet. "And besides, you can't ignore me. After all, I'm the demon who haunts you, day and night. I'm constantly watching you, you know. There's no way you can run away from me."

Ai shivered in fear of the woman, lying back down and pretending she wasn't there. "You know, I saw you talking to a handsome young man earlier. From the looks of it, he really trusts you. Oh, but wait, you lied to him, remember? He trusts that you won't do something like slicing yourself, but you went ahead and lied about it. If he finds out about it, do you think he'll ever trust you again?"

Ai wanted to respond, and tried to come up with something. "I-I'm sure he'll forgive me. H-He's nice like that."

The blonde-haired demoness let out a cold and cruel laugh. "Oh sweetie, he's supposed to be nice to you. It's his job. He's nice to every single kid here. Did you honestly think you were special or something?"

Ai was left speechless. "Come to think of it, no one else at this orphanage really likes you either, do they? You're always wearing a mean look in your eye and you scare everyone away. No one wants to be friends with a girl like that."

"But... my friends..."

"Oh, them? They're only being nice. But let's be honest, you're such a dull and boring girl. They'll want to get rid of you eventually."

"N-No, that can't be..."

The demonic woman smiled with malice. "Face it, absolutely no one wants you around. In fact, it would be better if you simply disappeared."

Ai was on the verge of tears, but she wouldn't dare shed them. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "What are you?"

The woman was taken aback by this question. "Hmm?"

"I said, what are you? Why are you here? Are you some demon or vampire or what?"

The woman leaned over the girl and coldly whispered into her ear. "I am a Shinigami. A death bringer. I am the death of everything you care about."

Ai's eyes widened in horror. This woman was clearly planning on torturing her to no end. "I-If you're a Shinigami, then why don't you just kill me already!"

Cruelly, the woman smiled and cupped Ai's cheek with her cold hand. "Oh sweetie, I'm not going to kill you."

Her smile widened. "You are. I'm merely going to sit back and watch."

Ai's heart was beating at near maximum speed. If it went any faster, she feared it would blow up. The woman, knowing she had done her job, retracted her hand slowly. "Well, I need to be leaving now. But I'll be seeing you later." Before she left, she said one last thing in English.

"(Sweet Dreams.)"

* * *

Ai couldn't sleep well that night. She had a pounding headache that just wouldn't go away. She made her way to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. The first thing she noticed was a chair that had fallen over, onto the ground, but what she didn't expect to see, was what she saw when she looked up.

Ai let out a loud scream upon seeing the body of the head caretaker hanging from the ceiling.


	7. Police Reports And Statements

**~Chapter 6: Police Reports And Statements~**

"Kaa-san! Tou-san! I need to speak with you immediately!" Shinichi exclaimed as he marched into the living room, catching his parents reading next to the fireplace.

"Shin-chan, what's wrong?" His mother asked with concern.

"Yeah, son, what are you so upset about?" His father asked.

Shinichi stood his ground and asked his parents with a stern voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" His father asked, in need of more details.

"All my life, you've been telling me that it's a Shinigami's job to send souls to the afterlife. Why didn't you tell me we could devour them?!"

Both of them tensed up for a moment, looking to each other before sighing. "We weren't trying to hide it from you. We just wanted to tell you when you were ready. And I guess that time is now."

Shinichi calmed his fury, waiting to hear what they had to say. His father started. "The woman who told us about you explained to us that there were certain things that Shinigami could and could not do. As you have stated, A Shinigami's job is to pass on souls into the next world. However, there are those who purposely go against these rules."

His mother continued. "If A Shinigami eats the soul of a once-living human, then they will become incredibly beautiful and be able to hone their powers better, resulting in a stronger being. Although the catch is, if a Shinigami eats souls continuously, then piece by piece, their own soul will start to chip away, leaving an empty hole where their soul used to be."

His father nodded. "You were so young. You cried because you thought you would end up killing anyone you met. Do you think it was a good idea for us to have told you that back then?"

Shinichi shifted his eyes to the ground, rubbing up and down his arm. "No, I guess not."

"Shin-chan, why are you asking about this? How did you find out?"

Knowing he would be asked this, Shinichi was prepared. "Earlier today, before school, I went to get some coffee with Ran. These two guys dressed in black came in and I instantly felt uneasy. After school, I followed them into this alley, and I caught one of them eating a soul of a dead man lying there."

Yukiko and Yusaku looked at each other with concern. "That's...That's terrible."

"Is there anything you want us to do?"

Shinichi quickly shook his head. "No, that's alright. This is my fight now."

* * *

Shinichi sighed as he walked down the street, remembering the conversation with his parents. Well, at least he now knew a bit more about his kind, and that was worth something.

Still, he couldn't just sit and let those guys do what they pleased. He had to stop them. The problem was, he didn't have any leads. Well, he probably wouldn't get any after a day anyway. About a minute later, his phone started ringing. According to the ID, it was the Inspector calling. "Moshi, Moshi." He answered.

"Ah, Kudou-kun. We're in the middle of a case right now and we could really use your assistance."

As if he was one to turn down this offer. "I'm on it! Where's the location?"

"The case is on 4869, Sharoku Street. It's the orphanage."

He nodded. "Got it. I'm on my way!"

* * *

Ai carefully watched him. Watched as he examined the body for any possible leads on who might have killed her. So this was the famous High School Detective of the East she had heard so much about. Next to Kid, he seemed to be the biggest deal these days.

She squinted her eyes in suspicion. There was just something about him, although she couldn't really figure it out. "Huh?" Her ears perked up as the detective seemed to have found something. He lifted up the caretaker's arm and examined it. "There's a bite mark on the back of her hand."

Ai's eyes widened, and she involuntarily let out a gasp. She didn't miss how the detective looked at her from the corner of his eye. It scared her a little. Megure nodded. "It seems there is."

Shinichi quickly put the woman's arm down and continued looking around. Ai turned her attention to the volunteers, Mizawa-san and Oshin-san, who were sitting at the table, waiting to be questioned. Casually, she watched from the doorway as the investigation continued.

Shinichi on the other hand, had figured something out about the woman. And it had nothing to do with the state of her dead body. "Huh?"

The detective heard a voice from the back door. "What happened here?" A glasses-wearing man had asked.

Megure showed the man his badge. "I'm Inspector Megure of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. And who might you be?"

The man adjusted his glasses. "I'm Okiya Subaru. I volunteer here."

The Inspector nodded. "Ijima-san was murdered last night."

"Eh? murdered?"

Megure confirmed it. "There were scratch marks on her neck, which signifies murder. We're also going to have to question you, so please take a seat."

Subaru complied and sat next to the other volunteers. "Nee, Keibu, who was the first to find the body?"

"Oh, it was the girl right over there." He said, referring to the brown-haired girl in the doorway.

She looked to be in middle school, and was wearing a look of indifference. Although Shinichi could see she was also a tad nervous. Only giving a nod, Shinichi went back to his work. He looked up at the ceiling fan that the woman was hanged from. He then looked a the table next to it. "If the killer wanted to hang Ijima-san up on the fan, then I don't see why it would be necessary to knock a chair over and make it look like a suicide. The table right here would have been just fine for that, since it's so close."

Takagi nodded. "I guess that's true."

"And another thing, the victim is wearing foundation, and yet, there's a foundation stain on her shoulder."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Takagi asked.

Shinichi stood in his thinking pose. "I don't know yet. Maybe if we listen to their alibies, I can get a better idea."

Megure nodded. "Alright, let's do that." He turned to the suspects. "We'll start with you, Mizawa-san."

The woman nodded and answered. "I was asleep at the time of the murder."

"Is there anyone who can confirm that?"

She thought back. "Well, my roommate might be able to. She's used to staying up till morning."

A police officer quickly left to confirm it. "How about you, Oshin-san?"

"I was hanging out in a convenience store parking lot with a couple of my friends. They can confirm it for you."

Some calls were made and his alibi was confirmed. "Now, where were you, Okiya-san?"

"I was at home, reading the Deluxe Edition of Hounds of the Baskervilles."

Shinichi appeared in front of the man almost too quickly. "Really? You mean the one with notes and outtakes written by Conan Doyle himself?"

Subaru nodded. "Yeah. Although it was more expensive than a normal volume, it was worth it."

"Oh really? You must be a Sherlockian then. According to Doyle, where did he get the idea for the book?"

"He got the idea from an old legend about a mysterious man who died and was said to lead a pack of wild dogs around his old house."

"Alright, next question. Who helped him come up with the plot?"

"A man named Bertram Fletcher Robinson, who worked as a Daily Express journalist. I also know that part of the plot was based on the ledged of the Yell Hound, from Devonshire folklore."

Shinichi took that into account, and ended his questioning. Well, no doubt this guy was a Sherlockian. "So, Kudou-kun, who do you think did it?"

The detective sighed. "I don't know yet. I'll need to collect my thoughts before I can say for sure."

Megure sighed. "Alright. I guess we can take a break now."

* * *

One of the officers had brought over an ice cooler filled with sodas, and Shinichi decided to drink one, in order to help his mind focus. Looking in the living room, he saw that middle school girl sitting alone on the couch. She was most likely shaken up by what had happened. He grabbed a second soda and headed in.

Ai sat on the couch, lost in her thoughts. She didn't particularly like how she was the first one to find the body, and she was probably causing her friends to worry about her. _If_ they worried about her, that was.

For some reason, she just couldn't seem to shake off what the woman had said to her last night. About no one caring if she lived or died. She knew they weren't true, but all these nights of torture were starting to make her think otherwise. Maybe, if she really were to die, no one would care enough to stop her. She turned her eyes to the ground. That's right. No one cared. No one ever would care, and that would be that.

"Here."

Ai's depression subsided and she looked at the soda that had entered her vision. The hand attached to that soda belonged to that detective boy, who seemed to be smiling at her. Silently, she accepted, and Shinichi took a seat next to her. "So, what's your name?"

She looked up at him with annoyed eyes. "Didn't they already tell you?"

"If they had told me, I wouldn't have asked."

She took a sip of her soda and sighed. "Fine, if you must know, I'm Haibara Ai."

He smiled. "That's a pretty name. I'm Kudou Shinichi. It's nice to meet you." He said while holding his hand out.

She slowly accepted it, and the two shook hands. "So anyway, I'm sorry you had to see that. It must have been pretty scary for you."

She sighed. "Perhaps. But at least I've read enough novels to know how to handle the situation."

"Oh, what kind of books do you like to read?"

She took a sip. "It depends. Although I'm more into books with dark themes."

Shinichi took a sip of his soda. "So, about the victim, is there anything you might be able to tell me about her, personality-wise?"

Ai tensed at this question. Although, the way he looked at her was kind and patient. No one other than her friends had ever looked at her like that. "W-Well, she was okay I guess. I mean, it's not like we ever crossed paths much."

As she was talking, Shinichi took a long slow sip of his soda. Once she stopped, he put it down, and avoided looking her in the eye. "She was hurting you, wasn't she?"

Ai gasped. She knew that bite mark would eventually trace back to her, but she didn't think it so soon. "I-I'm no-"

"It's alright. You had to. She left you with no choice."

He looked back at her and smiled. "And seeing as you don't look the slightest bit bruised, it looks like you won."

She turned away from him, her gaze on the floor. "P-Please don't tell anyone. I-I just-"

She was cut off by the feeling of a warm hand on her head. "It'll be alright. I won't tell anyone."

She looked up at him with a bit of surprise. There was still something about him. Something that reminded her of that woman. Although seeing the genuine kindness he had shown her, she knew he was alright. "It's just, why were you up so early anyway?"

Ai suddenly felt her mood sink as she shifted her eyes downward, hugging her arms. "I couldn't sleep. I had a major headache and I went to the kitchen to get some water. I didn't expect anyone to be up. However, when I walked into the kitchen, I realized that I might never be able to escape the tragedy that follows me wherever I go." She slowly looked up, although her expression was unreadable and almost zombie-like.

"It's almost as if I've been possessed by a Shinigami."

Shinichi's eyes widened immediately, and he couldn't take them off of the girl. "Hai...bara..."

The strange look in her eye was replaced by her normal expression of indifference. "Anyway, I have a little tip for you, Meitantei-san."

He blinked. "Hmm?"

"I just thought you should know that the victim didn't usually wear makeup when she was alive."

Something about the case in Shinichi's mind clicked. He smirked that same confident smirk he wore whenever he was onto something. "Thanks for telling me that. Now I think I've got most of it put together." He got up and headed towards the kitchen.

"Have fun." Ai said, a bit sarcastically.

Shinichi smiled a little, although what she had said earlier still gave him chills. He wouldn't forget about it.


	8. Shinichi's Birthday Special

**~Bonus Chapter: Shinichi's Birthday Special~**

Shinichi lazily walked down the stairs, yawning all the while. There was definitely nothing special about this day. It was average and ordinary. Shinichi was okay with that, though. Later on, he had plans with Ran. Last night, she had called him, asking him to meet her tomorrow. For what, he had no idea. Although he hoped it wouldn't be any place that reminded him of a date. That would be scary.

It was funny, the day started out normal enough, but something in the atmosphere just didn't seem right. Quietly, he looked around the stairs and into the living room. It was vacant, as his parents were probably still sleeping.

Shrugging it off, Shinichi headed into the kitchen. Something about it struck him as different, though. It seemed to have been cleaned up overnight. He didn't know about it, but since a clean kitchen wasn't in any way abnormal, he moved on. Opening the fridge, Shinichi was severely disappointed to find that there was no food, at all. Sure, there were a couple of jars here and there, but that hardly counted as real food.

He sighed and moved on to other areas of the kitchen. The cabinets contained no real food, and neither did the cupboard. Shinichi's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "Fine, if that's how you're gonna be, I'll just order breakfast."

In a huff, he walked into the living room, pulling out his phone and planning to place a call. However, something caught his eye before he could. He may have been imagining it, but he could have sworn he saw a shadow disappear down the hall.

Curiously, he put his phone up and began to investigate. Shinichi peaked down the hall, but saw no one. Already in detective mode, Shinichi walked down the long hall and ended up in the library. He looked around and found nothing out of the ordinary. All the books were in place, but the strange atmosphere had not dissipated. Something was definitely going on.

Quickly, in order to catch the perpetrator off guard, Shinichi bolted up the ladder to the second floor bookshelf. He had to be careful where he walked, because he had a limited amount of space. Nevertheless, as he saw a shadow on the wall, he chased after it in the direction it disappeared. He ran up to the third floor bookshelf and saw a shadow extending itself over the books. Without hesitation, he followed it, only to find nothing there.

Catching his breath, Shinichi looked around and found a shadow crossing the second floor bookshelf. "What? How did-"

Not bothering to finish his sentence, he slid down the ladder rail and made it to the second floor. He was right on it's tail. All he had to do now was turn the corner, and, "There's nowhere to-"

his mouth fell open a little as he found no one there. Looking up, he found the shadow moving along the fourth floor bookshelf. "How in the..."

This was starting to get a little annoying. As quick as he could, Shinichi booked it -pun intended- up the stairs and all the way to the fourth bookshelf. Sadly enough, the shadow had eluded him once again. He saw it running down the stairs and immediately chased after it. He had made it all the way down to the first floor, although unfortunately, all that running was starting to catch up with him.

He stopped to catch his breath, hoping that the shadow wouldn't run while he was down. After a while of breathing in and out, he decided to start running again. Only, he couldn't.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHIN-CHAN!"

He was hug-attacked from both sides, by none other than his own parents. "K-Kaa-san, Tou-san, what are you doing?"

"Son, don't tell me you've forgotten your own birthday."

Shinichi blinked. "My...birthday?"

"I told you he would forget. That deduction freak can't keep his nose out of a Sherlock Holmes book long enough to read a calendar properly."

"A-Ai-chan..."

The birthday boy saw as Ran and Ai had appeared from their hiding spots. "You two were in on this too, weren't you."

Ai smirked. "And what if we were?"

Ran nodded. "You deserve a little wake up call for forgetting your birthday every year."

He smiled nervously. "Sorry about that."

Shinichi's stomach rumbled and he was now much hungrier than before. "Also, there's no food in the kitchen."

His mother smiled. "Ran-chan came over earlier and helped me make you a big birthday breakfast! We just didn't put it in the fridge because it would have been too obvious."

"I get that, but did you _have_ to clean out the cabinets? If I wasn't so busy chasing you two, I'd have ordered breakfast."

"Which was why we had to stop you before you could." His father answered, patting his head.

Apparently, they were hiding the food in the oven, because they had no other suitable place to put it. Shinichi ate his breakfast, which in his opinion, was the greatest he had ever tasted, although since the ones who made the breakfast was his mother and childhood sweetheart, he would never catch himself admitting it out loud.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Shinichi-oniisan!"

The Shounen Tantei-Dan came bursting through the mansion door and congratulated Shinichi on it being his seventeenth birthday. Ai walked out of another room and smiled.

"Glad you guys could make it." She said to her small group of friends.

The little girl, Ayumi, ran up to her. "Ai-chan, come take a look at the present we made for Shinichi-oniisan." The two girls walked off and secretly discussed the present.

"So, Shinichi-san, have you already confessed to Ran-san?" Mitsuhiko asked with interest.

"Yeah, yeah, does she know yet?" Genta asked with the same interest.

Shinichi's face turned bright red, and it only got worse. "Know what?"

He panicked at the voice of his childhood friend behind him. "We were just asking whether you and Shinichi-san-"

"Got our writing prompts for English!" Shinichi was quick to finish. "And I told them I had, but I didn't know about you." In English, he spoke. "(I'm ready for the assignment.)" He said, while laughing nervously. Ran was quick to let the strange comment go.

Shinichi found the boys glaring at him with disbelief. "So you haven't told her yet?" Genta asked.

"That is just cold, Shinichi-san."

He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Y-You think so?"

In the next second, the doorbell was heard ringing throughout the room. "Oh, that must be them!" Yukiko chimed. "Come on, Birthday Boy. Go greet your guests."

Shinichi walked to the door at his own leisurely pace. "What guests?"

He opened the front door, and greeted his so called 'guests'

"S'rprise!"

"H-Hattori?"

His dark-skinned detective best friend, as well as his childhood friend were standing in front of him. "We came ta celebrate yer birthday, Kudou-kun." Kazuha explained. "Where's Ran-chan?"

"Oh, she's right over there." He said, stepping aside.

The girls greeted each other while the detectives got to talk. "We came all the way from Osaka ta see ya. We even got ya somethin'." Heiji said, referring to the present in his hand.

Shinichi nodded. "So, did anything new happen with you?"

Heiji sighed. "Not really. I've been gettin' ready fer finals, though."

Shinichi put his hand on his forehead. "I understand how stressful that can be."

Something then entered Heiji's mind. "Oh right, I just remembr'd. There's this case I've been meanin' ta tell ya about. Just give me one second ta put this present up."

The Osakan detective left down the hall to find the present area. Whatever case Heiji had to talk about, Shinichi couldn't wait to hear it.

* * *

It soon came time to serve the cake. It was a Red Velvet cake, big enough for everyone to have a piece. Yukiko originally wanted to have a big, extravagant cake, but Yusaku talked her out of it, claiming that Shinichi wouldn't be too fond of it. As Shinichi received his piece, Heiji reappeared by his side. "Sorry I'm late. The presn't table took a while ta find."

Shinichi shrugged it off. "So, what was that case you were talking about?"

Heiji's expression suddenly looked lost. "Case?"

He slowly nodded. "Yeah, you said you were going to tell me about a case once you got back."

Something seemed to click within Heiji's mind. "Oh, right, the case. Sorry, I've been a bit out've it t'day."

"So, what's it about?"

"Well, I've been thinkin'. It's yer birthday, so let's not discuss it t'day. I'll tell ya 'bout it lat'r."

Shinichi said nothing more, but continued to stare at Osakan. Soon everyone had received their cake. They all ate it happily, and as Ai and Shinichi ate there's slower, Heiji and the Shounen Tantei-Dan ate theirs with more gumption. "That was so good. I'm going to have to ask your mom to make me more cake."

Heiji turned to find Shinichi staring at him. "What?"

The Tokyoite shook his head. "It's nothing."

The party continued on with everyone chatting amongst themselves. As Heiji and Kazuha were talking to Shinichi and Ran, they secretly nodded to each other from different sides of the room. The Osakan duo pushed the two Tokyoites together, and let them talk. "So, Shinichi, are you gonna forget next year?"

He scratched the back of his head. "I-I'll try not to. But it's kind of hard to remember."

"What is so hard about remembering your birthday? It's supposed to be your special day, yet it seems like you don't care!"

Shinichi sighed. "It's not that I don't care, I'm just too busy to remember. I've got a lot going on."

Ran knew that was true, and she couldn't say anything to counter it. "Alright, but at least promise me you'll try to remember it next year."

He smiled. "I promise I'll at least try."

The two of them stood, staring at each other for a while. Shinichi found Ran to be as beautiful as always, and Ran thought Shinichi looked stunning in the shirt she had gotten him for his birthday last year. After the two realized what they were doing, they immediately scampered to hide their blushes.

"I have to, um..."

"Get-Get water."

They immediately split up, walking off in different directions. _"Did...Did she just..."_ Shinichi smiled. _"Of course not. There's no way she could have."_

Shinichi had calmed himself down and was heading towards the kitchen to actually get himself some water. "Whadya mean ya don't know?"

Shinichi found himself watching a argument between Heiji and Kazuha. "I-I mean, I know, I just f'rgot what it was, is all."

"How can you forget? You've been talkin' 'bout it for months."

"Suman, suman, I've just been feelin' f'rgetfull t'day."

"Oh really, if that's it, then what did we get Kudou-kun fer his birthday?"

"U-Um, we, uh...Ya should know, ya were there, Ahou!"

"Who're you callin' an Ahou, Ahou!"

"Geez, I don't have time for this, Boge!" Heiji walked off in a huff.

As Shinichi took all this into account, his eyes disappeared behind his hair, to the point of where they couldn't be seen. As he thought about it, it all made sense. This was going to be interesting.

"Huh? Kudou? What's wrong?"

Shinichi smirked and looked up at his best detective friend. "Oh, I'm just glad you could make it to my party is all. Enjoy it while you can."

That last sentence sounded a little...different. Almost amused.

"Alright everyone! Time for Shin-chan to open his presents!"

"Kaa-san..."

That seemed to be the cue which triggered everything. All of a sudden, everyone could hear the sound of heavy footsteps running down the hall. The doors to the room slammed open wide, revealing a half-dressed, and very pissed off Heiji.

"OI! WHO DECIDED IT'D BE A GOOD IDEA TA TAKE MY CLOTHES AND LOCK ME IN A CLOSET!?"

The fully-clothed Heiji wore a look of surprise. He turned to the detective next to him, only to see Shinichi giving him a toothy smirk, as if he had known this would happen.

The clothed Heiji then disappeared within some unexpected smoke, leaving Heiji's clothes behind, along with a note that read, "For Tantei-kun's eyes only." Signed with the Kid symbol, of course.

"Oi, Kudou." Heiji said, still a tad angry. "Ya did figure out that fake me was really Kid, didn't ya?"

Shinichi put his hands up. "Yes, yes, of course I did."

"Then why didn't ya say anything? Ya didn't even come look fer me, did ya?"

"W-Well, I only figured it out a couple minutes ago, and besides, I thought you would handle it better than I ever could."

Heiji smiled. "So how'd ya figure it out?"

The Tokyoite began. "Well, the first thing that had me suspicious was the fact that he 'forgot' the case you were planning to tell me about. Then he slipped out his Kansai-ben, and the last thing was that he didn't know what you got me for my birthday."

Shinichi took note of the blushing Kazuha, hiding behind Ran. "Also, you might wanna put some clothes on."

* * *

Shinichi didn't forget to look at the note. It was from Kid after all, so it was probably important. The note clearly read:

 _Tantei-kun,  
After you have opened all your presents, head to the roof.  
I have a surprise waiting for you there.  
-Kaito Kid_

Whatever this 'surprise' was, Shinichi didn't know what to expect. Although, knowing Kid, it would probably be something big and elaborate. But he was not expecting this.

"Shinichi?"

Ran was there, although the coincidence seemed almost too perfect. "Ran? What are you doing up here?"

"What do you mean? You told me you wanted to meet me up here."

Shinichi's eye twitched as he realized the truth. _"Kono Yaro..."_

"Oh, right. Well, I don't know _why_ I would do that, but we're here, so we might as well make the best of it."

He walked out to the middle of the roof, and unexpectedly, lights all around them lit up. Lanterns were hanging from wires in marvelous displays, and small, bright ones lit up in the center of a table that was previously invisible in the dark. Well, this was definitely Kid's doing, no doubt about that.

"U-Um, well, I guess we could sit for a while."

"Y-Yeah." The childhood sweethearts sat on opposite sides of each other on the illuminated table. Shinichi took in the view before them.

"Tokyo sure does look nice at night." He commented.

Ran saw the same thing, and agreed. The two of them sat in silence for a while, thinking of things to say. This seemed eerily similar to a date...

"Shinichi."

The detective in question had his attention grabbed. "Hmm?"

"Earlier, you were talking about our assignment for English."

He blinked. "Yeah, what about it?"

Slowly, she stood from her seat and leaned over the table. Shinichi's heart started beating out of control, and the next thing he knew, Ran had placed a small, chaste kiss on his cheek. Once she finished, Ran smiled genuinely.

"(Happy Birthday, Shinichi.)"

Said Shinichi couldn't even respond properly because his face was blushing like mad. "U-U-Uh, yeah...T-Thanks f-for that..."

As the two were enjoying their date, the entire Shounen Tantei-Dan was secretly watching from the roof entrance.

"Aww, Ran-oneesan kissed Shinichi-oniisan!" Ayumi exclaimed quietly.

Mitsuhiko nodded. "And that is how it's done."

Genta sighed. "Finally, something happened. I've been waiting forever."

Ai smirked. "Do you think he'll be mad if I told him I was the one who invited Kid?"

Ayumi shook her head. "After this, I don't think he would be."

"Hoh, what's this? That neechan kissed Kudou?"

Heiji and Kazuha took their time in joining. "Aww, I really wanted ta see that." Kazuha said in slight disappointment.

Heiji smiled. "Doesn't matter. We c'n always talk about it later."

The small group was talking amongst themselves, while a figure clad in white was staring down at the couple, wearing a smile. "Happy Birthday, Tantei-kun."

After all these unexpected but highly pleasant events, Shinichi would surely not forget his birthday next year.


	9. Black Death

**~Chapter 7: Black Death~**

Shinichi stepped into the kitchen, his eyes set on fire, looking for the culprit that might have committed the crime. The suspects were all talking with one another about how they were going to find a replacement for the caretaker. And all at once, Shinichi found that one piece of incriminating evidence that would land the killer in jail. "Megure-Keibu! I know who killed her!"

The Inspector put his soda on the table and stood. "Well, let's hear it!"

Ai watched from the doorway as the detective's smug attitude returned to him. He wasn't such a bad person, she thought, but when he got like this, she found that he could be rather dramatic. Her eyes then shifted over to Subaru.

She knew deep down that he wasn't the one who committed the crime, but there was still a possibility that he would accidently be the one arrested. After all, he was the only one without a properly solid alibi. She just hoped that this detective was all he had been made out to be.

"Due to a convenient tip, I was able to figure out what happened. As it turned out Ijima-san was actually planning on heading out to a part last night. And just for the occasion, she put on some makeup."

Megure and Takagi looked to each other for answers, and then looked back. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"This crime was rather simple. After the kids went to bed last night, the culprit came into the kitchen, straggled the victim from behind, and hung her from the ceiling fan. However, a slight complication arose. Her makeup was accidently smudged. But you all saw it. There was no smudged makeup on the corpse. That's because it was fixed by the only person likely to have a makeup kit on them."

Ending it all, he pointed them out. "That's right! The culprit is Mizawa Chidori!"

The woman of the group was surprised by the accusation. "W-What? How could you say that?!"

He shrugged. "Because I have proof. I'm guessing you didn't change last night, so the makeup smudge is still right there on your sleeve."

She realized her fatal mistake as soon as he pointed it out, but she tried covering it up. "T-This is makeup I accidentally smudged on myself this morning!"

Of course she would say something like that. "There is other proof, you know. For example, the fact that the gloves you wore while choking the victim are still in your pocket."

The woman was shocked, and did nothing as Satou-keiji removed the gloves from her pocket. The killer broke down and confessed that she did it because she knew the victim had a secret dark side, and was making things worse for everyone, volunteers and orphans alike.

She had been taken away and another case was solved yet again by the Great Detective of the East.

* * *

"Okiya-san."

Subaru turned around to find Ai staring at him, concerned. "What is it?"

"Um, well, I'm just sorry you had to go through that."

He smiled. "It's alright. I knew that if the Heisei Holmes was really what everyone said, he would arrest the true criminal, just like Sherlock Holmes."

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Still can't fathom why you're obsessed with those books."

"You should try reading them sometime. I think you'd like them."

Ai shrugged. "Alright, I'll give them a try, but I won't make any promises."

It was then that a new question came to her, and she had to ask. "So, what's going to happen now? Now that she's gone?"

Subaru had to think for a second, but the answer was obvious to him. "I'm pretty sure that they're going to search for a new one almost immediately. I hope this one will be much better."

Ai sighed, having been worn from the long day. "I'm going to get a drink from the kitchen. Do you want anything?"

"Tea, please."

She stood up from the chair in the living room an headed towards the kitchen. However, what she found was kind of surprising. That detective was still here.

"Where is it?" He asked, looking under the table.

What he was looking for, Ai had no idea. But something told her not to interfere, and just watch. "Oh, there you are."

Ai got curious as she watched to see what Shinichi had picked up. Although it was something she had never expected to see in her lifetime. At first, it looked like some little blue light bulb thing, but upon closer inspection, she found it was something she recognized from her Japanese Folklore book.

A Hitodama.

A human soul.

But, those couldn't possibly be real, right? That couldn't be real, could it? It was impossible. Ai noticed the light the thing gave off. She noticed the way the light shone onto Shinichi.

Instead of a blue color, like one would expect, it was black. It shone the color black onto Shinichi. Ai didn't know how she could have missed it. He had such a human appearance to him. This way, he fooled everyone around him. Everyone including her. It was clear to her now, though. Shinichi was a Shinigami.

He gave off the same aura as the woman who haunted her at night, only it was slightly different somehow. Nevertheless, cupping her mouth, Ai took a few steps backwards. But she just couldn't peel her eyes away from the sight.

"Time to move on now." And with one swift movement of his hand, the Hitodama had vanished.

Ai wanted to turn and run. She wanted to get out of there, but her legs wouldn't move. "What's this?"

She saw as Shinichi reached under the table and picked up a familiar object. "Someone dropped their knife."

Ai knew who that knife belonged to. It belonged to her. She must have dropped it when she had first found the body. Curiously, Shinichi started to open it. She had to get it before he saw what was on there. Sucking up her courage and returning her expression to normal, she entered. "That's mine."

He stopped opening it halfway through, surprised she'd just appear like that, but that didn't mean he didn't see what was on the knife. "Oh, um, here you go."

He closed the knife back up and handed it to her. She took it from his hand in a calm, cool manner. She had turned to face the door. "You've overstayed your welcome. I suggest you leave."

She grabbed a couple of drinks from the fridge and then left as quickly as she had come. Shinichi knew she had to defend herself from the caretaker, but he didn't realize how bad it was. Because on the knife, there was a slew of dried blood.

* * *

Purple heels clacked down the halls of the orphanage. Ai heard them loud and clear as she sat on a faraway chair, away from all the other kids. It had been a couple of days and things had gone swimmingly. Even the Shinigami who had haunted her at night seemed to have gone away.

She still, however, couldn't get Shinichi out of her head. How could she not have known what he really was? Was he just like the woman? Was his human appearance something he used to gain peoples trust? She was so confused. He had seemed so nice to her. And now...

The clacking of heels had come closer and closer. Their new caretaker would be coming through the door any moment. But it wasn't like she really wanted to know who it was. She was too busy worrying about her own problems. She had put her hands over her head in deep thought. Suddenly, the clacking stopped, but Ai didn't pay it any mind.

"Everyone, may I have your attention?"

Ai's eyes widened. That voice. That very vice was the reason her life became like this. The reason she was in that orphanage in the first place. Shaking, she looked up to find those cruel eyes, that long platinum-blonde hair, and that purple lipstick. She stared at Ai, as if saying, 'Now I'll make your life a real living hell.'

After a small chuckle, she began. "I'm Chris Vineyard, and starting today, I'll be your new caretaker."


End file.
